Mechanical pencil with lead sharpening device



April 10, 1951 w. E. BRADY 2,548,649

MECHANICAL PENCIL wIIH LEAD SHARPENINC DEVICE Filed Dec. '7, 19492?!'.1.

5 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 10, 1951 UNiTED STATES *PATENT roEElcE MECHANICAL PENCILWITH LEAD SHARPENING DEVICE v v v p William E.Brady, Parma, Ohio l y.

.Application December 7, 1949, Serial No. 131,640* Y This inventionrelates to mechanical pencils, and aims to provide a lead sharpeningdevice which is vpermanently attached thereto, and which may be readilyand easily brought into operation by the movement of the ngers grippingthe pencil in writing, the lead of the pencil being then rotated underthe sharpening device thereby forming a writing point on the lead of thepencil,

An important object of the invention is to improve generally theconstruction as shown and described in my Patent Number 2,432,376,granted under date of December 9, 1947.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawing Figure 1 is an elevational view of a mechanicalpencil equipped with a sharpening device constructed in accordance withthe invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the improved structure.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View through the pointed end of thebarrel of the pencil, illustrating the lead sharpening mechanism.

Fig. 4' is a perspective view of the sharpening blade.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental longitudinal sectional view through the pointedend of the pencil, illustrating the sharpening device as in itssharpening position.

Fig. 6 is a sectional View illustrating the sharpening mechanism asoperated to form a chisellike point on the lead of the pencil.

Fig. 7 is a sectional View taken on line 'I--1 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a fragmental sectional View illustrating the tapered orkwriting end of thepencil as threaded into one end of the pencil barrel.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the body portion or barrel of theAmechanical pencil, is indicated generally by the reference character 5and the reference character 6 indicates the pointed end of the barrelwhich is provided with a removable tapered end section 1, the pointedend 6 of the barrel being provided with a recess in its outer end, toaccommodate the extension 8 of the tapered end section 1.

The pencil includes an extension 9 that fits V I into the recess Illformed in theginner endgoffthe pointed end 6 of the barrel, theconnection between the extension 9 and the pointed end of the barrelbeing such that the main portion of the pencil may swivel with respectto the tapered end 6 to rotate the lead which in the present showing isindicated by the reference character II.

The outer surface of the pointed end 6 of the barrel, is formed with arecess which is disposed longitudinally of the pointed end of thebarrel, the recess being indicated by the reference character II. Therecess Il continues throughout the length of the tapered end section l,so that the blade I3 may slide throughout the leng-th of the pointed`end 6 of the barrel, and continue throughout the length of the taperedend 1, where the blade may be extended beyond the end of the tapered end'I to contact the lead I I.

Ribs I4 are formed along the longitudinal side edges of the blade I 3,and slide in grooves formed in the walls of the recess I Il.

At one end of the blade I3, is an eye through which one end of thespring I5 extends, the opposite end of the spring being secured withinthe inner end of the recess Il] so that as the blade is moved forwardly,the spring I5 will be placed under tension toreturn the blade to itsnormal inactive position, after the sharpening of the lead of thepencil.

Formed within the blade I3, is an elongated opening I6 which has thecutting blade I'l formed along one wall of the elongated opening anddisposed longitudinally of the blade, to operate at right angles to theside of the lead being sharpened.

The forward end of the blade is beveled as at I 8 providing a chiselcutting edge which when moved over one side of the lead of the pencil,will sharpen the lead forming a chisel-like edge on the lead, as shownby Fig. 6 of the drawing.

The upper surface of the blade I3 is knurled as at I9 to permit theoperator to press his llnger against the blade to -move the bladelongitudinally of the pointed end of the barrel to move the blade to itsactive or lead sharpening position, after which the lead is returned bythe spring I5, as previously described.

As shown by Fig. 8 of the drawing, the tapered end section 2B isprovided with a threaded extension 2| that is fitted in the threadedrecess 22 formed in one end of the pointed end 23 of this form of thebarrel.

In use, when the lead of the pencil becomes broken, the mechanicalpencil is operated in the usual way to project a length of the leadbeyond the pointed end of the pencil barrel. The blade now is movedforwardly until the cutting blade H thereof is directly over theextended end of the lead of the pencil, whereupon the pencil barrel isrotated rotating the lead under the knife to sharpen the same into afine Writing point.

When the blade is released, the spring.. will return the blade to itsposition within the recess I, where it will be out of the way of thefingers holding the pencil, during writing.

Having thus described the invention', what is claimed is:

The combination with a lead pencil including a main portion in which thelead of the pencil is secured, and a tapered end. member hav-y ingswivel connection therewith, through which the pencil lead extends, saidtapered end hav-Y ing a longitudinally disposed recess, a leadsharpening blade movable longitudinally of the re- REFERENCES CITED' Thefollowing references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,432,376 Brady Dec. 9, 1947FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 432,302 Great Britain July 24, 1935

